Respiratory monitoring with a new impedance plethysmograph

A new impedance plethymograph respiratory monitor, (AR-8800), was tested on anaesthetised dogs. Decreases in tidal volume and total apnoea were brought about by partial and complete airway obstruction and by partial and total muscle paralysis. The changes in respiration were reliably detected by the monitor and its alarms activated within 15-20 seconds. The misinterpretation of gross body movement as normal breathing did not occur. Our findings suggest that the AR-8800 is a safe and dependable monitor which has distinct advantages and may be of particular use in the monitoring of patients at risk of developing respiratory depression or obstruction, whether in the intensive care unit, the general ward or at home.     

Respiratory gas monitoring in the pediatric patient.

Parents of soon-to-be-anesthetized children frequently express concern about their child's safety because they have heard that "anesthesia is the most dangerous part of the operation." Although I don't believe that statement was ever true, it is even less true today. With the development of reliable capnography and volatile agent measurement in infants and children, we have significantly reduced the risks associated with anesthesia. I think we can, and should, confidently reassure parents that the "anesthesia part of the operation" has been made much safer and that the child's breathing (as well as heart beat, temperature, oxygenation, etc.) will be vigilantly monitored by the anesthesiologist using both human senses and the latest in monitoring equipment.     

肝移植术后呼吸功能监测和并发症处理

目的 摸索肝移植术后呼吸功能监测和维持的规律，提高肝移植术后管理质量。方法 分析5例原位肝移植病人在术后ICU期间经历的呼吸系统并发症和常见问题。结果 4例肝移植术后出现各种呼吸道并发症19例次，包括肝肺综合征、胸腔积液、肺不张、肺充血、肺间质水肿、感染及呼吸道出血。结论 呼吸机的使用和呼吸功能的监控是肝移植术后管理的重要环节。了解肝移植术后呼吸系统病理生理学改变的规律和特殊性，对于病人安全渡过ICU阶段至关重要。     

Respiratory monitoring of the infant in anaesthesia and intensive care

Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie - Respiratory monitoring of children during general anaesthesia and critical care is in its early stages. Acquisition of...     

Respiratory monitoring. Recent developments in automatic monitoring of gas concentration, flow, pressure, and temperature

Advances in instrumentation and programming techniques have resulted in the expansion of a previously reported 12-bed respiratory gas-concentration monitoring system to now include automatic calibrated measurements of bidirectional airflow, airway pressure, and airway temperature as well as other vital signs (rectal temperature, arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, and heart rate). The more expensive hardware, including a programmable digital desk calculator, interfacing, a mass spectrometer, signal conditioners, and a major portion of the airflow instrumentation, are time-shared to provide an acceptable per-bed cost. Calculated and edited measurements of pulmonary mechanics (tidal and minute volume, mean and end-expiratory airway pressures, compliance, resistance, respiratory rate) and gas exchange (oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, respiratory exchange ratio, alveolar P_O2, and alveolar P_CO2) are printed out and stored in an extended memory. The memory is accessed by a second calculator, which prints out summaries of data every 8 hours, correlates off-line blood gases and other measurements with automatically acquired data, and communicates with a commercial time-sharing system for more sophisticated data processing.     

Respiratory failure

Respiratory failure is a common problem, particularly in patients with pre-existing respiratory disease but also in previously well patients in the perioperative setting. It carries a 90-day mortality of above 40% representing a high-risk patient population. This article discusses the causes, presentation, assessment and management of respiratory failure along with a brief overview of perioperative risk prediction and pathophysiology.     

Respiratory allergies

A respiratory allergy corresponds to an inflammation of the airways linked to an immunological reaction of an allergic origin. Asthma is a common manifestation of such an allergy. A global approach involving the patient, and taking into account the allergen and the environment determines the effectiveness of the care.